Orienteering New Brunswick Newsletter
Vol. 23, No. 3
January 1999
The Newsletter of Orienteering New Brunswick
Staff Writer
All this and you want a cover story too? OK, yet another announcement
of the impending Canadian Orienteering Championships (COCs) in 2000. Big event for a
small province with a finite population of orienteers. To be run in Fundy National
Park and on a hopefully break-even basis. Invest now. Call to offer your
assistance - some positions still available.
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Stig Skarborn in Fredericton
The following is a copy of my last report to the ONB AGM as President, and represents my overall view of orienteering during 1998. I would like to thank Paul Looker for volunteering to stand for election as President and hope that he will receive full support and help in his endeavours from all members of ONB.
"Orienteering in New Brunswick continues to be a roller coaster experience with high and low points. Definite highlights include the exceptionally good competitive performances of the Smith family, with Sandy, Mike and Wil having qualified for next year's World Championships in Scotland. Other New Brunswickers have also done very well in regional, national and North American competition. I wish them all every success in the future.
The opportanity to compete at this year's Canadian Orienteering Championships in British Columbia, and to represent New Brunswick at the Canadian Orienteering Federation AGM were personal highlights. The COC's were well run with fair, not great, participation numbers, especially in view of the fact that the North American Championships and the World Rogaining Championships were run in conjunction with the COC's. This is something to consider when we plan publicity for the year 2000 COC's planned for Fundy National Park.
On the negative side, the struggle to get more people to participate in and organize orienteering events continues without long term positive results. New Brunswick is not unique in this aspect. Most other provinces, and several countries including Sweden, do not show any growth either. This is contrary to the trend in the United States, which has shown an increase in the number of participants and in new clubs. France and Portugal have aggressive programs to promote orienteering and are doing well introducing orienteering to the public at large and into the school system. Canada and the provinces need to take action in this regard, but with the limited human and financial resources we have available a sustained major endeavour is unlikely.
The question of product should be considered. Are we providing an experience that can be successftilly marketed, or should we be altering the product? If so, how? I suggest that you try alternate forms of orienteering next season. However, make sure that the variation is advertised, so that people know what to expect. After the event ask what the participants thought of it, and solicit requests for improvement. One suggestion in this regard may be to alter the time available for the event, i.e. three and six hour score events. Another may be to have extended start times. Why not allow a start any time between 10:00 and 2:00? Whatever we do, I reconrrnend that steps be undertaken to drastically improve publicity within the province for our sport."
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A Mini 0 Teaser
Deserted Staff Wnter
A orienteer is on her way to an orienteering meet. However, to reach the meet, she must cross a desolate desert on foot. It will take six days, but any one person can take enough food and water for four days only. Fortunately, the last village can supply her with porters. What is the least number of porters that she needs to help her make the journey?
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Mountain Bike O'ing
Carol Or in Moncton
A few weeks ago we went mountain bike orienteering in Debert, N.S. We
live in Moncton and we really like orienteering so when we went to the Nova Scotia
Championships in Wentworth Valley and my Mom found a sheet saying that there was mountain
bike orienteering, we were really excited.
We got there Saturday morning and registered. Frser (my brother) and Daniel (his friend)
went as one group and Mom and I went as another group. We all went on course 2. It was a
Score-O and each control was worth ten points. We had an hour and a half to get as many
checkpoints as we could. Mom and I had 100 points and came in fourth place and Fraser and
Daniel came in fifth place with eighty points.
The area the controls were in was about 2.1 square kilometers and the controls on average
were 450m apart. Mom and I biked 6.2 km. To get all the 20 controls you would have to bike
10.2 km along the paths. I had a lot of fun mountain bike orienteertng and I hope that we
can set up a meet like that closer to Moncton (such as Hillsborough or Centennial Park).
All in all it was a lot of fun. Quotes from Fraser: "It was wet. On bikes we could
cover more land but there were spots that you had to carry your bike, for example, through
a thorn patch. It would be nice if there was one in Centennial Park".
>From Carol (10) and Fraser (9) Ross
Falcons in Moncton, November 10, 1998
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A 64-Division Compass
Rob Hughes on the Internet
The 64 graduation compass referred to stems from WWl days, and the need
to correct the fall of shot of guns which are correct for range, but not bearing.
The corrections in angle were given as so many yards offset at so many yards range,
referred to as 'mils', one mil being the angle subtended by a one yard offset at 1000
yards.
The geometricians will recognise the mil as being one thousandth of a radian. Since
there are 2 x pi radians in a flill circle, that means there should be 6283 mils in a
circle.
The military, however, were not impressed by such precision of mathematics and decided
that the full circle would contain 6400 mils, giving the 64 graduation compass. The
choice of 64 is, in fact, very clever because it divides simply into halves, quarters,
octants and so on. And for military purposes the difference between 62.8 and 64 is
of no consequence when it comes to firing shells across a I WW battlefield. The fact
that an offset of 10 mils at 1000 yards is only 9.8 yards instead of the notional 10 yards
does not help the poor devil at the receiving end.
(courtesy of brian.parker@virgin.net)
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Bits and Pieces
Stig Skarborn in Fredericton
Media Guidelines
Sport New Brunswick has an excellent little guide available with
recommendations for how to promote your events. One copy of this guide was handed
out to each participant at the ONB AGM. If you want to review this publication,
contact your club executive or Stig Skarborn.
COC's, NAOC's, World Rogaining Championships
New Brunswick athletes did very well, with Sandy Smith being Canadian
and North American classical event champion, plus placing second in the short distance
event. Mike Smith won bronze in the classic events, and Wil Smith won gold in the
short distance. Heather and Victoria placed frrst and second in the COC classic
events, reversing the positions for the North Americans. Luella won a bronze at the COC's.
Doug Mahoney, Cherie Mahoney and Ed Smith were also in BC along with Alex Whaley
and myself. Some good results for the latter crew, but not outstanding.
COF AGM Summary
At the COF AGM, the delegates were not willing to drastically cut the
COF budget through more volunteer work, as I and John Charlow of Quebec had wanted.
The majority of delegates want to continue with a hard copy of Orienteering Canada and
felt that further budget cuts would lead to COF disintegration. The problem for New
Brunswick is that this leads to annual fees that are very high and that I feel we cannot
afford. At the present time we pay more to the COF than we are receiving from our
members.
Membership in Ontario has decreased substantially, apparently due to the method of
counting bodies. The COF Board is to provide guidelines for this to all the
provinces by year's end. It is hoped that this will lead to a more fair distribution
of provincial fees, but I am skeptical.
The COC's are coming along well in Ontario (1999). New Brunswick (2000) has just
found a mapper after having lost the one who had committed due to death. No-one is
applying to host the COC's in year 2001, although Alberta is applying for the COC's, NAOC
and APOC in 2002.
Bylaws were altered and now limit the COF President to serving two two-year terms.
The COF is responsible for organizing a NCCP Level 2 clinic in conjunction with the 1999
COC's.
The COF is to provide course setting standards for short distance events. At the
present time there is only a recommended winning time. Some of the courses for the
short distance event in BC were not considered very good by elite athletes.
Cohn Kirk continues as President and Executive Director. Geraint Edmunds and
Kathrine Hagen from Alberta, and Annette von Tyghem from Ontario, were added to the Board.
Dick James from Nova Scotia was re-elected, and Ray St-Laurent continues with his
second term.
ONB AGM Summary
The ONB AGM was held in the Poley Mountain lodge in Sussex on November 15th. The
location was interesting with a fine view of the ski hills, unfortunately devoid of snow.
Key items discussed or decided were as follows:
=B7 Paul Looker is the new President of Orienteering New Brunswick.
=B7 Continuing their roles on the executive are Rob Hughes as Vice-President, Theresa Whaley as Secretary and Don Heron as Treasurer.
=B7 New Directors are Alex Whaley for the western region, Raymond Quan for the Fundy Region, and Ariane Looker for the Kent/Miramichi.
=B7 Robert Hughes has volunteered to take over as Newsletter Editor starting in 1999.
=B7 Stig Skarbom volunteered to coordinate publicity for next year's events in the province.
=B7 Suggestions for improving beginner/intermediate clinics are solicited from the membership, since we do not obtain enough active members from the present format. In this context Ed Smith suggested that map-making skills might be attractive to some people.
=B7 A trip to a major "A"-meet in the USA is envisaged for May 1-2,1999. Partial funding would come from ONB. Eligible for this trip would be elite and A-pool members and, to the extent that there is room, B-pool members.
=B7 A Committee composed of Don Heron, Theresa Whaley and Luella Smith has been formed to give recommendations for ONB fees and for more uniform event fees.
=B7 A scheduled foot race to the top of Poley Mountain was cancelled due to rain.
Orienteering Suits
We had a very nice visitor from Toronto, Rudolf Chroust, who
participated in a few orienteering events in the fall. If you need a new tailor made
0-suit, or the best gaiters I have seen in a long time, I suggest that you get in touch
with him. I should be able to obtain his address for you. The cost in 1998 was
$35.00 for each of the jacket, pants and gaiters. Features of the suits
include real pockets on the front of the chest of the jacket, and on the pants, all with
Velcro closing. The jacket also has a fake pocket for pinning your control card to
your suit with Velcro. The pants close with Velcro at the bottom as well, so that
the pants can be pulled on over shoes. If you contact him for a suit, he needs a
full set of measurements: neck to sleeve end with arm stretched out and with elbow bent,
neck to waist or hip, chest, waist, hips, waist to ankle measured outside leg, crotch to
ankle, and distance from floor to waist while sitting on a floor. Imagine all this
for the perfect 0-suit.
Coaches' Seminar
The Coaching Association of Canada will hold an Atlantic Coaches
Seminar in Moncton from May 21 to 24,1999. This seminar includes Level 3 theory and
is ideal if you are interested in advanced coaching either as a teacher or as an athlete.
Several sport organizations will be holding advanced technical clinics as well.
For further information check www.conchnb.com.
What Did I Do Right, and Wrong
At an international coaching school in Victoria, many of the coaches indicated that:
"Coaches should spend more time de-briefing athletes about their performance following a competition or practice. This feedback allows the athlete to release the emotional impact of a particular event and refocus goals toward future training. We often do not allow time at the conclusion of events to learn from our recent experiences.
Moral of the story: after an event, talk to more experienced or other orienteers about how things went and learn from their advice. Orienteers often say that they do this, but I do not think we see enough of it happening for beginners, intermediates, advanced and the elite.
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An 0 Teaser
Staff Writer on the Wrong Side of the Bridge
You are part of a team of four orienteers on a 24-hour rogaine. You have found all
of the controls but the direction from which you approach the ftnish line requires you to
cross a bridge to win. You have just 17 minutes to get to the other side since the
nearest team is that far behind you, but they don't have to cross the bridge to win.
Your team all begins on the same side of the bridge (of course). It is night.
There is one flashlight. A maximurn of two people can cross the bridge at the same
time. Any party who crosses, either one or two people, must have the flashlight with
them. The flashlight must be walked back and forth. There are no tricks (the
flashlight can neither shine a long distance nor can it be thrown, and no one can be
carried). Each orienteer walks at a different speed, but a pair must walk together
at a rate of the slower orienteer's pace.
| Orienteer #1 (you) | 1 minute to cross |
| Orienteer #2 | 2 minutes to cross |
| Orienteer #3 | 5 minutes to cross |
| Orienteer #4 | 10 minutes to cross |
For example, if Orienteer #1 and Orienteer #4 walk across first, 10 minutes have elapsed when you get to the other side of the bridge. If Orienteer #4 returns with the flashlight, a total of 20 minutes have passed, and you have failed to win the rogaine and finish second. Good luck.
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Definition of vetting:
Vetting is the job of checking a course before a competition. The vetter is a peron (other than the one who designed the course or placed the control markers) who checks to see that all of the markers have been properly positioned. The usage is pretty broad and can include a person who goes out weeks before the event and checks locations, marking them with a piece of survey tape (or initialling a tape the course setter has already placed). Vetters also check the logical routes between control markers for the accuracy of the map and unmapped hazards.
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Year 2000 COC Bug
Ray St-Laurent all over the plaoe
This is the first of a series regarding the year 2000 COC's to be hosted by New Brunswick.
This is definitely an unofficial report.
The last time we held the COC's, in 93, our mascot/symbol was a lobster. Well I
think a more appropriate symbol this time is the mosquito. It's perfect.
=B7 Everyone talks about the year 2000 bug; we will have it.
=B7 Constant advertising. Mosquitos are better than free; you have to pay to get rid of them.
=B7 We could attract competitors from Arizona. They will think us rubes that misspelled Mequite-O and will arrive expecting events in familiar, dry sagebrush. (After trudging through marshes for a few days they will want to rename it Musky Toe.)
Forget about any negative connotations that mosquitoes might have. Let's face it, we have tried the upbeat, positive approach before. Were countless throngs of orienteers attracted? No. So, a little negative advertising might appeal to macho-orienteering types. We can enhance matters by reminding visitors that events are being held in a National Park; all wildlife is protected so must not be harmed.
As a greeting at the start-line, we should start a tradition to honour
our visitors. Inspired by the Hawaiian custom of placing leas around the neck, we
would pour a clutch of mosquitos down each visitor's pants. Although our greeting could
increase their initial speed, but their direction and concentration will be compromised.
When they doubt this is a real tradition, we state that this is the origin of the
expression "ants in your pants". It is a gesture meaning "Good
Luck" and "God speed". We will also patiently explain that this
custom is the source of the word 'fly' being used for the zipper on a pair of trousers.
They will believe us. People believe the most outlandish lie as long as it
has corroborating, even though ridiculous, evidence and is told with sincerity. Remember,
each of us must allot five minutes daily to practice being sincere.
The point of all this is to ensure more medals for New Brunswickers. The idea is to
think of ways to enhance our chances at winning. Yeah, yeah talent, training, and
hard work. What I am suggesting just gives us an extra edge. The mosquito
advertising will weed out the all those Don Cherry rejects-- the wimps.
With the meet package there can be a statement that there have been "no authenticated
cases of a moose eating a tourist within the last year". That is a perfectly
true statement but should give their imagination something to chew on, especially after
passing moose crossing signs on the way here.
For those still lucid after the above hospitality, we can take them to an event at
"the Rocks" in Hopewell Cape. It would be a game of hide and go seek.
They get to close their eyes and count to 10000. Then they open their eyes
and read the instructions in a sealed envelope. It will say they have to find dry
land before the tide comes in all the way. Don't worry, we will provide boats to
pick up stragglers.
For those still keen, there is one final event that will eliminate them from competition.
We take them all to Moncton to watch the Tidal Bore arrive. Two reactions are
possible. The first is they will find out why it is called a bore and will achieve
an advanced version themselves. The second is that they will laugh uncontrollably.
Either way, hysteric or catatonic, they present no threat.
Well, I've done my bit to help New Brunswick's chances.
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Whistle Notes
Rob Hughes in Upper Kingsclear
OFF THE INTERNET
Matthias Mahr wrote: At the recent National Event in the UK, competitors were
forced to carry a whistle and cagoule (rain jacket) in order to be allowed to compete in
the event. True, the event was on a relativley exposed open moor and weather
conditions were variable but shouldn't people ultimately be allowed to decide for
themselves?
Ned Paul: There have been deaths from exposure in fell races (mountain races) in
similar conditions over similar terrain in Britain and the carrying of cagoules is 100%
accepted in that sport. Fell racing as organised in Britain is perhaps the
antithesis of any 'nanny' sport. I have no problem carrying a cagoule in similar
orienteering races, nor in the organiser/controller asking me to do so if conditions
warrant it. I speak as one who bitterly opposed for many years the old universal BOF
rules on whistle carrying and full body cover and had some part in roiling back those
rules to the present state where the organiser/controller can ask for (insist on) whistles
to be carried if thought appropriate and can relax the full body cover rule also.
Peter Guillaume: As for whistles, I would have agreed until a club member went in a
bog up to his chest last winter and was only found because he had a whistle. He
could not have got out on his own!
AT HOME
Rob Hughes' offers comment: As you can see, there has been some discussion over the
merit/need for organisers to insist on safety equipment. In a lot of ONB meet event
flyers it says whistles MUST be carried and yet in practice this is hardly ever checked at
the start. The only time I have been asked to show one was at one of the Smith
events (Hillsborough I think). It was not even done at our recent woodlot champs
events. I think this is a point for criticism and something that is easily
rectified. If we say whistles are needed, we should always be sure people have them.
I'm thinking too of the recent Kouch event where youngsters were spread out over a
large area in cold wet conditions, there would have been only a small search force in case
of need, and it would have been tough work ... those whistles would be pretty critical.
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The Body Chasing the Mind
Jim Huggins
Looking for a sport that is a challenge and fun to do?
A sport that makes you feel real good after you are through?
One that makes you think? One that makes you glow?
One that gives your imagination plenty of room to grow?
There is a sport that meets these needs. A sport that all can keep.
It's called Orienteering, and it is played in the forest deep.
It is a sport that makes you think, for many decisions you must make.
And when you get turned on to the game, great rewards will be yours to take.
It challenges the body, the mind, and the soul.
The young can participate, as well as the old.
Recreational and competitive, either one you can pursue.
But either one that you select, will make your mind and body feel new.
If it happens that Orienteering is the lifetime sport you select.
You will find that the activity will help keep the gray matter erect.
The challenge of the sport is to keep the body from falling behind.
For you will find that Orienteering is a game where the body is chasing the mind.
Mind chase safely!
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An 0 Solution
Staff Writer in a Basket with 700 Ping Pong Balls
Initially, there were 769 ping pong balls. And someone actually sent in the correct solution. She says that she solved itby staating at 1, and deducing which ones could have the 1 added because of being odd. It is important that the 8 balls be added during the cycles having larger numbers.
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Filler
MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS ONLY
- sign outside Mexico City's Mandinga Disco in the Hotel Empono.
Fifth and sixth graders' ideas about science, and the basics of orienteering and
survival:
Definition of Yuppie Food Stamps: The ubiquitous $20 bills spewed out of ATMs everywhere Often used when trying to split the bill after a meal - "We all owe $8 each, but all anybody's got is yuppie food stamps."
Elite orienteers, prepare yourself for the press:
"The doctors x-rayed my head and found nothing." - baseball great Dizzy Dean explaining how he felt after being hit on the head by a ball in the 1934 world Series.
Confucius say,
"He who have last laugh, not get joke."
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$Revision: 1.3 $ $Date: 1999/02/13 21:36:04 $